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Midcentury NYC #2
You Should Be So Lucky
An emotional, slow-burn, grumpy/sunshine, queer mid-century romance about grief and found family, between the new star shortstop stuck in a batting slump and the reporter assigned to (reluctantly) cover his first season—set in the same universe as We Could Be So Good.
The 1960 baseball season is shaping up to be the worst year of Eddie O’Leary’s life. He can’t manage to hit the ball, his new teammates hate him, he’s living out of a suitcase, and he’s homesick. When the team’s owner orders him to give a bunch of interviews to some snobby reporter, he’s ready to call it quits. He can barely manage to behave himself for the length of a game, let alone an entire season. But he’s already on thin ice, so he has no choice but to agree.
Mark Bailey is not a sports reporter. He writes for the arts page, and these days he’s barely even managing to do that much. He’s had a rough year and just wants to be left alone in his too-empty apartment, mourning a partner he’d never been able to be public about. The last thing he needs is to spend a season writing about New York’s obnoxious new shortstop in a stunt to get the struggling newspaper more readers.
Isolated together within the crush of an anonymous city, these two lonely souls orbit each other as they slowly give in to the inevitable gravity of their attraction. But Mark has vowed that he’ll never be someone’s secret ever again, and Eddie can’t be out as a professional athlete. It’s just them against the world, and they’ll both have to decide if that’s enough.
Listening length: 11 hours 59 minutes
The 1960 baseball season is shaping up to be the worst year of Eddie O’Leary’s life. He can’t manage to hit the ball, his new teammates hate him, he’s living out of a suitcase, and he’s homesick. When the team’s owner orders him to give a bunch of interviews to some snobby reporter, he’s ready to call it quits. He can barely manage to behave himself for the length of a game, let alone an entire season. But he’s already on thin ice, so he has no choice but to agree.
Mark Bailey is not a sports reporter. He writes for the arts page, and these days he’s barely even managing to do that much. He’s had a rough year and just wants to be left alone in his too-empty apartment, mourning a partner he’d never been able to be public about. The last thing he needs is to spend a season writing about New York’s obnoxious new shortstop in a stunt to get the struggling newspaper more readers.
Isolated together within the crush of an anonymous city, these two lonely souls orbit each other as they slowly give in to the inevitable gravity of their attraction. But Mark has vowed that he’ll never be someone’s secret ever again, and Eddie can’t be out as a professional athlete. It’s just them against the world, and they’ll both have to decide if that’s enough.
Listening length: 11 hours 59 minutes
12 pages, Audiobook
First published May 7, 2024
755 people are currently reading
33286 people want to read
About the author
Cat Sebastian
27 books5,129 followersCat Sebastian has written sixteen queer historical romances. Cat’s books have received starred reviews from Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and Booklist.
Before writing, Cat was a lawyer and a teacher and did a variety of other jobs she liked much less than she enjoys writing happy endings for queer people. She was born in New Jersey and lived in New York and Arizona before settling down in a swampy part of south. When she isn’t writing, she’s probably reading, having one-sided conversations with her dog, or doing the crossword puzzle.
The best way to keep up with Cat’s projects is to subscribe to her newsletter.
Before writing, Cat was a lawyer and a teacher and did a variety of other jobs she liked much less than she enjoys writing happy endings for queer people. She was born in New Jersey and lived in New York and Arizona before settling down in a swampy part of south. When she isn’t writing, she’s probably reading, having one-sided conversations with her dog, or doing the crossword puzzle.
The best way to keep up with Cat’s projects is to subscribe to her newsletter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,678 reviews
August 11, 2024
This is, without hyperbole or exaggeration, one of the best romance novels that I’ve ever read. One of those books you buy in paperback and reach, reach, and reach for until they are tattered and yellowed and full of scribbled notes, which is to say, until they are well-loved.
If you had told me that a romance novel about a baseball player and the reporter begrudgingly covering his story would so thoroughly change the landscape of my life in less than two days, I would have said... yep, actually, that sounds about right. More seriously, I loved this book. Set in 1960s New York, You Should Be So Lucky speaks with insistence and quiet intensity to the beautiful density of queer existence, caught up in a world that refuses to accommodate it. Amidst so much unfreedom, the characters in this book build beautiful capacious lives and affirm the tenacity of queer love and the sustaining power of queer community against the routine brutalities of state-sanctioned homophobia and the scripted histories of death, violence, and uprooting. You might be forced to endure subjugation, the novel says, but that does not mean only living life as a subjugated person. And that—well, that hit home.
You Should Be So Lucky is also a deeply moving depiction of grief that refuses to relegate its dead characters to a numb aside, asking us instead to sit with the vast helplessness of mourning someone you're not allowed to love and thus not allowed to grieve. How do you build yourself out of such mourning? How do you begin to heal? This is a novel that is just so utterly kind and generous to its queer characters that I was left feeling nothing so much as grateful for it.
I cheered so hard for the characters’ happiness. I believed in their belonging to one another and wanted so desperately for them to believe it too. I cried a lot, but I screamed joyfully even more. Please read it for yourself.
If you had told me that a romance novel about a baseball player and the reporter begrudgingly covering his story would so thoroughly change the landscape of my life in less than two days, I would have said... yep, actually, that sounds about right. More seriously, I loved this book. Set in 1960s New York, You Should Be So Lucky speaks with insistence and quiet intensity to the beautiful density of queer existence, caught up in a world that refuses to accommodate it. Amidst so much unfreedom, the characters in this book build beautiful capacious lives and affirm the tenacity of queer love and the sustaining power of queer community against the routine brutalities of state-sanctioned homophobia and the scripted histories of death, violence, and uprooting. You might be forced to endure subjugation, the novel says, but that does not mean only living life as a subjugated person. And that—well, that hit home.
You Should Be So Lucky is also a deeply moving depiction of grief that refuses to relegate its dead characters to a numb aside, asking us instead to sit with the vast helplessness of mourning someone you're not allowed to love and thus not allowed to grieve. How do you build yourself out of such mourning? How do you begin to heal? This is a novel that is just so utterly kind and generous to its queer characters that I was left feeling nothing so much as grateful for it.
I cheered so hard for the characters’ happiness. I believed in their belonging to one another and wanted so desperately for them to believe it too. I cried a lot, but I screamed joyfully even more. Please read it for yourself.
April 10, 2024
first of all, gotta say. this definitely disappointed me in some ways. maybe i had overblown expectations because of how much i loved we could be so good, maybe it’s because of the slump i’ve been in the past couple weeks. but i have a feeling i would’ve said the same even if i wasn’t. this dragged at points, so much so i got bored. mark and eddie were lovely and had their moments but overall i just couldn’t get as invested in their story as i’d like.
what i did like was how homophobia is portrayed in these days. it’s realistic, the fear of coming out and yet wanting to be open about themselves and show who they are fully but just couldn’t because of society’s judgement. and it’s awful. i love the way cat writes the yearning!!! the longing!!! not just in the romance, but also the want in life, the ache, and who you gradually and eventually develop into.
mark the grump with a soft interior (i love) and eddie with the most precious mindset (i adore)—they showed me that the smallest moments can be the most precious. their banter was adorable, they were so domestic, and the way they bonded over sad gay books together? mood. 💅 i’m telling ya, cat writes bratty and grumpy characters in the best ways. i couldn’t quite feel much for either of the mcs many times, however, which is what i hated.
despite this being unnecessarily long, having too many boring monologues in between, side characters and plots that took away from the main couple, the dreaded dead ex ! (knew this was there before i got into this but i did not expect this much of a role and i just didn’t like the almost yearning feeling i got from mark about william, the ex, at certain points), it was cute. loved the nick and andy cameos, i was eagerly on the lookout and we got barely crumbs sadly which made me miss them so much. we know what this means though—time for a we could be so good reread, sound the alarms!!
what i did like was how homophobia is portrayed in these days. it’s realistic, the fear of coming out and yet wanting to be open about themselves and show who they are fully but just couldn’t because of society’s judgement. and it’s awful. i love the way cat writes the yearning!!! the longing!!! not just in the romance, but also the want in life, the ache, and who you gradually and eventually develop into.
“i really love you,” eddie says without exactly planning to. he half expects mark to become extremely busy somewhere else in the apartment or to start a fight about why eddie is wrong, but instead mark’s face goes a mottled red. “what, like that’s news?” eddie asks, trying not to laugh. but he hasn’t actually told mark before, not in so many words.
“it’s not news,” mark says, scathing and fond, and starts filling an old milk crate with record albums.
mark the grump with a soft interior (i love) and eddie with the most precious mindset (i adore)—they showed me that the smallest moments can be the most precious. their banter was adorable, they were so domestic, and the way they bonded over sad gay books together? mood. 💅 i’m telling ya, cat writes bratty and grumpy characters in the best ways. i couldn’t quite feel much for either of the mcs many times, however, which is what i hated.
despite this being unnecessarily long, having too many boring monologues in between, side characters and plots that took away from the main couple, the dreaded dead ex ! (knew this was there before i got into this but i did not expect this much of a role and i just didn’t like the almost yearning feeling i got from mark about william, the ex, at certain points), it was cute. loved the nick and andy cameos, i was eagerly on the lookout and we got barely crumbs sadly which made me miss them so much. we know what this means though—time for a we could be so good reread, sound the alarms!!
September 25, 2024
Actual rating 4.5 stars.
This story is so, so tender and so, so incredibly sweet. I’m actually at a loss for words.
I’m known as the one who reads the sadder and harder stories. I don’t need a HEA, not even an HFN. But sometimes, a softer story worms itself into my heart and makes me feel all the feels.
We Should Be So Lucky is a warm blanket full of love while the main theme is loss. Cat managed to tell this story so tenderly and sweetly that the sadness seems hardly visible. But at the same time, it’s constantly present in all its forms. In the phone calls, Eddie makes to his mom or the way he watches the ceiling at night. In Mark, when a waitress asks for mister lamb with mint jelly or how he counts the time since … In Lula, who sleeps at the door waiting for the one who never will come home again. But it’s also a story about recognition, about being able to be who you are. And eventually, it’s a story about living again, about first and second chances, about the rally of life, when you think something is over and then it turns around.
The more I read, the more I smiled, and I’m so, so happy this story stayed sweet until the end with barely a third-act-breakup. And the way reading and books were part of this story! Loved those two men reading so much! Cat Sebastian has become an auto-read author for me and I can’t wait for what she has in store for us next!
Thank you so much, Avon and Edelweiss, for this awesome ARC!
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This story is so, so tender and so, so incredibly sweet. I’m actually at a loss for words.
I’m known as the one who reads the sadder and harder stories. I don’t need a HEA, not even an HFN. But sometimes, a softer story worms itself into my heart and makes me feel all the feels.
We Should Be So Lucky is a warm blanket full of love while the main theme is loss. Cat managed to tell this story so tenderly and sweetly that the sadness seems hardly visible. But at the same time, it’s constantly present in all its forms. In the phone calls, Eddie makes to his mom or the way he watches the ceiling at night. In Mark, when a waitress asks for mister lamb with mint jelly or how he counts the time since … In Lula, who sleeps at the door waiting for the one who never will come home again. But it’s also a story about recognition, about being able to be who you are. And eventually, it’s a story about living again, about first and second chances, about the rally of life, when you think something is over and then it turns around.
The more I read, the more I smiled, and I’m so, so happy this story stayed sweet until the end with barely a third-act-breakup. And the way reading and books were part of this story! Loved those two men reading so much! Cat Sebastian has become an auto-read author for me and I can’t wait for what she has in store for us next!
Thank you so much, Avon and Edelweiss, for this awesome ARC!
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September 28, 2025
6 ⭐️
Until this story, beauty like this in a book was unknown to me. Who knew a book could break your heart, lift your spirits, and leave you gasping for air simultaneously???? This one DID, and I’m forever changed 🥹♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️.
Until this story, beauty like this in a book was unknown to me. Who knew a book could break your heart, lift your spirits, and leave you gasping for air simultaneously???? This one DID, and I’m forever changed 🥹♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️.
June 1, 2025
i really appreciate historical romances that touch on periods of time i don't know quite as much about. but the romance wasn't all that romantic if i'm being honest. there were elements i appreciated, but mark was soooo withholding it wasn't a fun read for me.
May 8, 2024
cat sebastian can continue writing mid-century queer romance for as long as she would like and i will gobble them all up
----
GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE
this was so good what kind of magic is in these books
----
GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE
this was so good what kind of magic is in these books
June 25, 2024
★3.75 stars, rounded up
✎𓂃 “When the world has decided that people are supposed to be a certain way, but you’re living proof to the contrary, then hiding your differences is just helping everybody else erase who you are.”
☆What to Expect:
⚾ MM romance
⚾ Sloooooow burn
⚾ Sports romance
⚾ Historical romance (set in the 60s)
⚾ Explicit spice, but the door is ¾ open
⚾ Depiction of grief
⚾ Semi third act break
⚾ Third person POV
Eddie O’Leary, star shortstop of the Kansas City Athletics, has been traded to the New York Robins…and is told very publicly on TV. His poor tantrum response leads him to the worst batting slump of his life in his first season as a Robin, and the team rightfully shuns him. In an effort to alter his public perception, The Chronicle’s Mark Bailey is assigned to reluctantly ghost write weekly diaries of Eddie. What Mark doesn’t expect is just how much Eddie lightens his life and how easily they fit, especially as he navigates his crippling grief. Not to mention it’s the 1960s, where gay men, even high-profile baseball players, lack safety in the world.
☆My Thoughts:
Folks, don’t @ me. I know many believe baseball to be a boring sport, but I literally love nothing more than drinking an icy cold beer while watching the great American pastime. Yes, my love of the sport was initiated by a childhood crush on a hot baseball player WHATEVER, but I digress… any other version of sport ball I cannot be bothered with.
Sports romances can be a hit or miss for me, especially if it becomes a central focus of the book. You Should Be So Lucky does feature the game frequently, but we’re really here for our MMCs Mark and Eddie.
While the glacial pace of the slow burn brought my rating down, there are endless moments of pure beauty and such important themes that I found myself warring with how to rate this book.
⋆₊⊹⁀➴ Mark has suffered a tremendous loss in his life, and it’s heartbreaking to see how his grief is a constant reminder–how the littlest of things can trigger his sadness. He’s really sitting in his grief, and finds it difficult to understand why he should move forward.
⋆₊⊹⁀➴ Our golden retriever Eddie has had it mostly easy in life: he’s well-loved with the Kansas Athletics, has a strong relationship with his family, and is able to skirt the edges of anonymity in his romantic pursuits, without jeopardizing his career. Once he’s traded, he’s forced to up and move to a new city where he doesn’t know a single soul, repeatedly plays a trash game, and thus experiences true loneliness for the first time.
Loneliness becomes one of these central themes throughout, and for a gay man in the 60s, I can only imagine how elevated that feeling must be. But together, Mark and Eddie bring out the best in each other and provide the love both desperately need. Trauma can be debilitating, but having a true, unconditional support system can lead to growth, change, and self-worth.
There are other thematic elements (like not judging a book by its cover, what life was like for LGBTQIA+ people in the 60s), but the overall quiet moments of these characters were truly beautiful. It can be difficult to sit through a slow burn, but I encourage any who read this to read through the lull and appreciate the nuance of these moments (but also fair if that is not for you!).
I realize I’ve just written probs too much, but while I love Mark and Eddie with everything I am, Mark’s dog Lula stole the show. WE LOVE A GOOD DOGGO!!!!!!! 20/10 for Lula, 15/10 for Mark and Eddie, 2/10 for the slow burn 🫠 Woof.
☆Quotes:
✎𓂃“That’s how everyone experiences setbacks. At least, I do. The awful part is over, so why can’t I feel normal again? Why can’t I eat at my favorite restaurant? Why can’t I set foot in my favorite bakery?.”
✎𓂃“I don’t think I could have a single feeling about you that’s wasted.”
✎𓂃“What is [the bad part]?” “Being alone. When you’re the only one fucking up, you’re all alone.
✎𓂃“But maybe it was just a bad thing that happened. Maybe that was her dream job. Maybe that was the only man she’ll ever love. Maybe something awful happened, and those girls are going to be changed by it, but they’re still people, and good things can still happen to them. It’s like you said–even after a disaster, there’s still tomorrow.”
✎𓂃“He hadn’t known then that it [love] would grow, that it would put down roots and fill up all the spaces inside him, fusing with flesh and bone until there wasn’t any way to separate it from the rest of him. He hadn’t realized what it would be like to have it taken away.”
* ゜・。。・゜゜・。。・゜*
Pre-review:
So excited bc I picked this one up at my local romance bookstore, and it’s perfect for Pride Month! 🏳️🌈 A hotshot shortstop in a slump and the reporter assigned to interview him??? And it’s set in the 1960s, ooh these bbs will have a lot more to juggle than just some baseballs 😬⚾
✎𓂃 “When the world has decided that people are supposed to be a certain way, but you’re living proof to the contrary, then hiding your differences is just helping everybody else erase who you are.”
☆What to Expect:
⚾ MM romance
⚾ Sloooooow burn
⚾ Sports romance
⚾ Historical romance (set in the 60s)
⚾ Explicit spice, but the door is ¾ open
⚾ Depiction of grief
⚾ Semi third act break
⚾ Third person POV
Eddie O’Leary, star shortstop of the Kansas City Athletics, has been traded to the New York Robins…and is told very publicly on TV. His poor tantrum response leads him to the worst batting slump of his life in his first season as a Robin, and the team rightfully shuns him. In an effort to alter his public perception, The Chronicle’s Mark Bailey is assigned to reluctantly ghost write weekly diaries of Eddie. What Mark doesn’t expect is just how much Eddie lightens his life and how easily they fit, especially as he navigates his crippling grief. Not to mention it’s the 1960s, where gay men, even high-profile baseball players, lack safety in the world.
☆My Thoughts:
Folks, don’t @ me. I know many believe baseball to be a boring sport, but I literally love nothing more than drinking an icy cold beer while watching the great American pastime. Yes, my love of the sport was initiated by a childhood crush on a hot baseball player WHATEVER, but I digress… any other version of sport ball I cannot be bothered with.
*** (^ 𝑩𝒂𝒃𝒚 𝑪𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒕𝒏𝒆𝒚'𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒃𝒂𝒍𝒍 😋) ***
Sports romances can be a hit or miss for me, especially if it becomes a central focus of the book. You Should Be So Lucky does feature the game frequently, but we’re really here for our MMCs Mark and Eddie.
While the glacial pace of the slow burn brought my rating down, there are endless moments of pure beauty and such important themes that I found myself warring with how to rate this book.
⋆₊⊹⁀➴ Mark has suffered a tremendous loss in his life, and it’s heartbreaking to see how his grief is a constant reminder–how the littlest of things can trigger his sadness. He’s really sitting in his grief, and finds it difficult to understand why he should move forward.
⋆₊⊹⁀➴ Our golden retriever Eddie has had it mostly easy in life: he’s well-loved with the Kansas Athletics, has a strong relationship with his family, and is able to skirt the edges of anonymity in his romantic pursuits, without jeopardizing his career. Once he’s traded, he’s forced to up and move to a new city where he doesn’t know a single soul, repeatedly plays a trash game, and thus experiences true loneliness for the first time.
Loneliness becomes one of these central themes throughout, and for a gay man in the 60s, I can only imagine how elevated that feeling must be. But together, Mark and Eddie bring out the best in each other and provide the love both desperately need. Trauma can be debilitating, but having a true, unconditional support system can lead to growth, change, and self-worth.
There are other thematic elements (like not judging a book by its cover, what life was like for LGBTQIA+ people in the 60s), but the overall quiet moments of these characters were truly beautiful. It can be difficult to sit through a slow burn, but I encourage any who read this to read through the lull and appreciate the nuance of these moments (but also fair if that is not for you!).
I realize I’ve just written probs too much, but while I love Mark and Eddie with everything I am, Mark’s dog Lula stole the show. WE LOVE A GOOD DOGGO!!!!!!! 20/10 for Lula, 15/10 for Mark and Eddie, 2/10 for the slow burn 🫠 Woof.
☆Quotes:
✎𓂃“That’s how everyone experiences setbacks. At least, I do. The awful part is over, so why can’t I feel normal again? Why can’t I eat at my favorite restaurant? Why can’t I set foot in my favorite bakery?.”
✎𓂃“I don’t think I could have a single feeling about you that’s wasted.”
✎𓂃“What is [the bad part]?” “Being alone. When you’re the only one fucking up, you’re all alone.
✎𓂃“But maybe it was just a bad thing that happened. Maybe that was her dream job. Maybe that was the only man she’ll ever love. Maybe something awful happened, and those girls are going to be changed by it, but they’re still people, and good things can still happen to them. It’s like you said–even after a disaster, there’s still tomorrow.”
✎𓂃“He hadn’t known then that it [love] would grow, that it would put down roots and fill up all the spaces inside him, fusing with flesh and bone until there wasn’t any way to separate it from the rest of him. He hadn’t realized what it would be like to have it taken away.”
* ゜・。。・゜゜・。。・゜*
Pre-review:
So excited bc I picked this one up at my local romance bookstore, and it’s perfect for Pride Month! 🏳️🌈 A hotshot shortstop in a slump and the reporter assigned to interview him??? And it’s set in the 1960s, ooh these bbs will have a lot more to juggle than just some baseballs 😬⚾
May 5, 2025
in public straight up "crying over it" and by "it", haha, well. let's just say yet another goddamn cat sebastian book
Want to read
August 14, 2024THE WAY I PUT THIS IN MY "currently reading" SO FAST AFTER WAITING 3 MONTHS FOR IT ON LIBBY........... TO REMOVE IT BACK TO "want to read" IMMEDIATELY WHEN I HEAR IT'S NARRATED BY JOEL LESLIE 🤮
👏 GET 👏 THE 👏 FUCK 👏 OUTTA 👏 HERE 👏
It's a no from me, Gary.
brb, going to cry xoxo
👏 GET 👏 THE 👏 FUCK 👏 OUTTA 👏 HERE 👏
It's a no from me, Gary.
brb, going to cry xoxo
March 18, 2024
A review in three parts. Read whichever ones apply to you!
For general audiences not wanting spoilers:
You Should Be So Lucky is the story of Eddie O'Leary, a baseball player who has lost his swing, and Mark Bailey, a reporter grieving the loss of his partner of many years. I really did not expect to love a book about baseball, and I especially didn't expect to have any patience for a book that tried to turn baseball into a Metaphor for Life. This book proved me wrong. It's a gentle, contemplative story that is doing so much more than just developing a love story between two protagonists (though it does that very well).
For WCBSG fans who want expectations set without being too spoiled:
YSBSL is very much of a piece with WCBSG in the sense that it has a similar prose tone (third-person present, appreciation for the lyricism of the domestic, and focus on protagonists refusing to acknowledge a single feeling until they can't resist). In both books, the threat of outing is an acknowledged reality of 1950s queer life, yet it is not wielded *against* the characters as an imminent threat to safety. There are a few notable differences as well. Where physical intimacy in WCBSG happened on-page but in rather vague terms (more "fade to black"), YSBSL often used the device of initiating intimacy and then cutting immediately to its aftermath (more "closed door"). While both books focus on character development, vibes, and the long romance arc, I would say that YSBSL has a slightly broader narrative universe than its predecessor. Its overarching themes (baseball, grief, slumps, second chances) and its cast of secondary characters both get more air time than they did in WCBSG. Some readers may lament even a minor shift away from a tight focus on the romance, I thought the balance was perfection. My very subjective takeaway is that in WCBSG I felt most moved by the minute detailing of Nick and Andy's romance; in YSBSL I felt most moved by what Eddie and Mark's romance had to tell me about living joyfully in the face of change. I value both deeply.
For the spoiler-indifferent, or those having finished and looking to Talk Themes:
If you've made it this far, you've pretty much got my "review" of the book. But I still have a bunch of un-marshalled and un-collected thoughts about this book that feel a bit more spoilery. I went into YSBSL braced to possibly dislike two different elements of it. The first one is, quite simply, baseball. I kind of despise the sport. Not for anything inherent to baseball itself, but for the way it was wielded by the men in my family as both something I had no choice but to interact with (I was constantly getting dragged to stadia) and something I could never fully appreciate because I was a girl. Anyway, I have little time or patience for baseball. And when it became apparent that Cat Sebastian might be trying to draw broad thematic parallels between losing your baseball swing and losing a romantic partner... let's just say, it's a testament to how much I trust her as a writer that I did not fling my ARC into a river.
But... goddamn if she didn't actually make it work? I loved the thematic resonances in this book so, so, SO much. I'm not sure Sebastian gets enough credit for how boldly she takes on the irrevocability of loss as part of an HEA (she has a romance hero in a different book dying of tuberculosis, ffs). But she does it beautifully. I loved how the theme of continuing to live after loss wove its way through everything in the book, from something as small as the loss of a neighborhood, to something as uninteresting (to me) as the loss of a baseball game, to as earth-shattering as the loss of a loved one. And it was done in a way that didn't try to *overplay* similarity between these things, but rather let each one be its own experience, each speaking differently to the centrality of loss and recovery to the human experience. It left me just kind of in awe over the bravery of living. Which is a lot, for a romance!
As I kind of hinted at above, there was a voice in my head that wondered if the actual, concrete love story of Eddie and Mark didn't get the tiniest bit lost under all that thematic work. And maybe it did? I certainly didn't feel quite as desperate for the catharsis of them getting together as I did with Nick and Andy. But I loved it, just the same.
So, the second thing I was wary about was how much the threat of public outing was going to play a role in this story. I think it could be argued that Cat Sebastian is writing in a genre climate where both other historical eras (like the regency), and other types of sports romance (like contemporary hockey romance), are already so wonderfully saturated with narratives of queer acceptance that midcentury baseball romance appears as a genre space in which the threat of outing can be newly reinscribed. And I'm always ... a little wary, especially keeping in mind my reader positionality as a cis queer woman writing this in 2024, about how the "threat of outing" narratives in mm historical romance is working.
I don't presume to have an answer to that, but I will say that one thing that resonated a LOT with me in this book is how un-binary Sebastian's approach to "the closet" and "outing" is here. Which is to say, first of all, the blurb is kind of misleading: this is NOT a romance where Mark wants to live fully out after a life of secrecy, and Eddie is terrified of being outed as a gay sports player. Rather, it's just as true that Mark wants to keep Eddie safe by NOT being public in certain ways, as much as it is that Eddie really longs to have his queerness be recognized by key people around him. The question of being "out" is, technically, a source of plot here, but it's one where both MCs have a lot of time and patience and understanding for the complexities of that issue. Similarly, I loved the recognition that being "closeted" or "out" is not, in fact, a binary switch-flip for Mark and Eddie: they get to kind of patchwork together a network of people who know only what the two men want them to know about their lives and identities and intimacies. I loved both the care and the nuance that went into that.
And, jeez, there's so much more I loved about this book that doesn't really fit into the confines of my review. GEORGE (*sobs*). Everything going on with Ardolino. Eddie crying over Mark's dog. The jar of cherries. MARGINALIA! I just loved it all a lot.
Anyway, these are just my ramblings, and I'm looking forward to hearing what a lot more people think about this book, and these issues, once they've had the chance to read it.
I received a free e-ARC from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
For general audiences not wanting spoilers:
You Should Be So Lucky is the story of Eddie O'Leary, a baseball player who has lost his swing, and Mark Bailey, a reporter grieving the loss of his partner of many years. I really did not expect to love a book about baseball, and I especially didn't expect to have any patience for a book that tried to turn baseball into a Metaphor for Life. This book proved me wrong. It's a gentle, contemplative story that is doing so much more than just developing a love story between two protagonists (though it does that very well).
For WCBSG fans who want expectations set without being too spoiled:
YSBSL is very much of a piece with WCBSG in the sense that it has a similar prose tone (third-person present, appreciation for the lyricism of the domestic, and focus on protagonists refusing to acknowledge a single feeling until they can't resist). In both books, the threat of outing is an acknowledged reality of 1950s queer life, yet it is not wielded *against* the characters as an imminent threat to safety. There are a few notable differences as well. Where physical intimacy in WCBSG happened on-page but in rather vague terms (more "fade to black"), YSBSL often used the device of initiating intimacy and then cutting immediately to its aftermath (more "closed door"). While both books focus on character development, vibes, and the long romance arc, I would say that YSBSL has a slightly broader narrative universe than its predecessor. Its overarching themes (baseball, grief, slumps, second chances) and its cast of secondary characters both get more air time than they did in WCBSG. Some readers may lament even a minor shift away from a tight focus on the romance, I thought the balance was perfection. My very subjective takeaway is that in WCBSG I felt most moved by the minute detailing of Nick and Andy's romance; in YSBSL I felt most moved by what Eddie and Mark's romance had to tell me about living joyfully in the face of change. I value both deeply.
For the spoiler-indifferent, or those having finished and looking to Talk Themes:
If you've made it this far, you've pretty much got my "review" of the book. But I still have a bunch of un-marshalled and un-collected thoughts about this book that feel a bit more spoilery. I went into YSBSL braced to possibly dislike two different elements of it. The first one is, quite simply, baseball. I kind of despise the sport. Not for anything inherent to baseball itself, but for the way it was wielded by the men in my family as both something I had no choice but to interact with (I was constantly getting dragged to stadia) and something I could never fully appreciate because I was a girl. Anyway, I have little time or patience for baseball. And when it became apparent that Cat Sebastian might be trying to draw broad thematic parallels between losing your baseball swing and losing a romantic partner... let's just say, it's a testament to how much I trust her as a writer that I did not fling my ARC into a river.
But... goddamn if she didn't actually make it work? I loved the thematic resonances in this book so, so, SO much. I'm not sure Sebastian gets enough credit for how boldly she takes on the irrevocability of loss as part of an HEA (she has a romance hero in a different book dying of tuberculosis, ffs). But she does it beautifully. I loved how the theme of continuing to live after loss wove its way through everything in the book, from something as small as the loss of a neighborhood, to something as uninteresting (to me) as the loss of a baseball game, to as earth-shattering as the loss of a loved one. And it was done in a way that didn't try to *overplay* similarity between these things, but rather let each one be its own experience, each speaking differently to the centrality of loss and recovery to the human experience. It left me just kind of in awe over the bravery of living. Which is a lot, for a romance!
As I kind of hinted at above, there was a voice in my head that wondered if the actual, concrete love story of Eddie and Mark didn't get the tiniest bit lost under all that thematic work. And maybe it did? I certainly didn't feel quite as desperate for the catharsis of them getting together as I did with Nick and Andy. But I loved it, just the same.
So, the second thing I was wary about was how much the threat of public outing was going to play a role in this story. I think it could be argued that Cat Sebastian is writing in a genre climate where both other historical eras (like the regency), and other types of sports romance (like contemporary hockey romance), are already so wonderfully saturated with narratives of queer acceptance that midcentury baseball romance appears as a genre space in which the threat of outing can be newly reinscribed. And I'm always ... a little wary, especially keeping in mind my reader positionality as a cis queer woman writing this in 2024, about how the "threat of outing" narratives in mm historical romance is working.
I don't presume to have an answer to that, but I will say that one thing that resonated a LOT with me in this book is how un-binary Sebastian's approach to "the closet" and "outing" is here. Which is to say, first of all, the blurb is kind of misleading: this is NOT a romance where Mark wants to live fully out after a life of secrecy, and Eddie is terrified of being outed as a gay sports player. Rather, it's just as true that Mark wants to keep Eddie safe by NOT being public in certain ways, as much as it is that Eddie really longs to have his queerness be recognized by key people around him. The question of being "out" is, technically, a source of plot here, but it's one where both MCs have a lot of time and patience and understanding for the complexities of that issue. Similarly, I loved the recognition that being "closeted" or "out" is not, in fact, a binary switch-flip for Mark and Eddie: they get to kind of patchwork together a network of people who know only what the two men want them to know about their lives and identities and intimacies. I loved both the care and the nuance that went into that.
And, jeez, there's so much more I loved about this book that doesn't really fit into the confines of my review. GEORGE (*sobs*). Everything going on with Ardolino. Eddie crying over Mark's dog. The jar of cherries. MARGINALIA! I just loved it all a lot.
Anyway, these are just my ramblings, and I'm looking forward to hearing what a lot more people think about this book, and these issues, once they've had the chance to read it.
I received a free e-ARC from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
June 4, 2024
5 stars. Heartwarming, written with Cat Sebastian's signature queer sensibility, and containing a tender quality to its prose that I absolutely adore, it was impossible for me to not fall irrevocably in love with You Should Be So Lucky and yet I am in awe of how it so easily nestled its way into my heart.
September 24, 2024
For some reason, nothing feels as New York as baseball from the middle of the century. It just screams nostalgia and old-timey NYC, and as someone from the area, I'm here for it.
I'm not at all a baseball fan, but I've been known to read and love baseball romances. What's interesting to me is that baseball stories often feel a lot like watching baseball for me; they are interesting, but drag on a bit longer than my attention span holds. You Should Be So Lucky felt very much like that.
I loved the raw emotions from this story. I felt each character and what they were going through, and I was heartbroken and moved by each MCs struggle with isolation and loneliness. I think Cat Sebastian does such a masterful job with her characters. They feel incredibly read and fleshed out. I enjoyed the slow-burn aspect of the romance, and the way these characters grew and evolved together over time. A LOT was done right here.
Where a few points were taking off for me was in the pacing. I don't know why this book felt so long, but it really did. There is a lot of inner thoughts and monologuing, and it just took a really long time for me to finish the story. It was a satisfying read, but not one that kept me glued to my Kindle all night.
Highly recommended for all historical sports romance lovers.
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I'm not at all a baseball fan, but I've been known to read and love baseball romances. What's interesting to me is that baseball stories often feel a lot like watching baseball for me; they are interesting, but drag on a bit longer than my attention span holds. You Should Be So Lucky felt very much like that.
I loved the raw emotions from this story. I felt each character and what they were going through, and I was heartbroken and moved by each MCs struggle with isolation and loneliness. I think Cat Sebastian does such a masterful job with her characters. They feel incredibly read and fleshed out. I enjoyed the slow-burn aspect of the romance, and the way these characters grew and evolved together over time. A LOT was done right here.
Where a few points were taking off for me was in the pacing. I don't know why this book felt so long, but it really did. There is a lot of inner thoughts and monologuing, and it just took a really long time for me to finish the story. It was a satisfying read, but not one that kept me glued to my Kindle all night.
Highly recommended for all historical sports romance lovers.
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April 26, 2024
5.0 ~Milkshake Dates, Dog Walks and Phone Calls~ Stars
Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the arc in exchange for an honest review!
Thoughts:
This is my formal request for more soft, cozy, heart-touching, slow and beautiful baseball romances. I say that, but truly this is more than just a romance. This is a story of grief and hope. It is about life and how peculiar of a thing it is. It is about how even as the world keeps moving on, it is nice to just stop and be still with someone.
Sometimes, with being a mood reader, the time and place you are at or in can affect the book and experience. The stars aligned with my first Cat Sebastian read, and it was the perfect time, place and book! The historical elements to the 1960s were absolutely spot-on as you see and feel the research behind it with the tone and setting being accurate. I can absolutely see that some may think this read dragged a little as there was no major conflict and some unnecessary details, but I ate up every extra page and paragraph. I felt no issues with it personally.
“And I don’t think I could have a single thought about you that’s wasted.”
I loved Mark and Eddie with all of my heart. The main characters were flawed and a tad broken but so lovely. Cat Sebastin fed us the sunshine x grump (aka golden retriever and black cat) trope in the best way, and their little tender moments made me squeal in delight and keep wanting more.
I look forward to reading many more works by CS soon!
P.s. I would instantly fall in love with someone who asked me to borrow my annotated books and then called me to talk all about it hehehe.
Would I recommend this and to who:
I know this book won’t be for everyone, but I think everyone should give it a chance. Our main characters are easily loveable, and I believe most will be surprised with how much they will end up enjoying it.
Paperback/Hardcover/Audiobook/E-book:
E-Book
Pace:
Slow
Cover thoughts:
So freaking cute!
Quotes: *SPOILER ZONE* I REPEAT *SPOILER ZONE*
“You usually take interview subjects out for milkshakes?” … “Only the handsome ones.”
‘Mark had been laughing along with him. Mark can’t remember the last time he laughed here.’
‘Eddie stealing glances at Mark’s mouth and Mark doing the same thing, and the fact that they aren’t kissing is taking up more space than any kiss possibly could.’
“I’ve been watching all your games.”
‘It’s not like he forgot what Mark looks like, He doesn’t think he could. He doesn’t think anyone could.’
“I thought you were beautiful! I couldn’t believe how beautiful you were.”
“I can’t stop thinking about you.”
‘He feels like an idiot, but Mark’s laughing, and he’d be okay with feeling like an idiot all the time as long as it made Mark laugh like that.'
“Mark, you’re not going to ruin my life. You’re the person I want to build my life around.”
“You’re lovely.”
“I will go literally anywhere you go.”
“So–tonight, should I call you at your number or mine? I mean–ours?” “Ours,” Mark says. “Call me at ours.”
Triggers:
Grief, Sexual content, Homophobia, Death, Abandonment, Alcohol, Racism, Medical content, Ableism, Mental Illness, etc.
April 26, 2024
You Should Be So Lucky has me absolutely besotted and in love and so freaking delighted and content. It just made me really, truly happy.
"I don’t think I could have a single feeling about you that’s wasted.”
I buddy read the book with Dana and we had the best time! I kept falling even more in love with the book as we discussed it, and I'm so happy to have read it in this way.
You Should Be So Lucky is set in the same world as We Could Be So Good, a couple of years later in 1960. It's a slowburn between baseball player Eddie who unexpectedly gets traded to the New York Robins and reporter Mark (who we met in WCBSG) who finds himself on his paper's sports beat, having to do a series on Eddie.
It's very much opposites attract, Mark's a bit of a prickly semi-feral cat and Eddie's more of golden retriever cinnamon roll. They're both sort of assholes though, and they're also both terribly lonely and dealing with grief in different ways but their jagged edges fit together.
They can't seem to stay away from each other, and it's obvious how fond they become of each other really fast. Mark especially isn't great at opening up but Eddie sees him like no one ever has before, he's way more perceptive than most people give him credit for, and Mark does the same for Eddie. It's the horrifying ordeal of being known and being accepted and loved for everything you are.
"He feels like every part of him is wrapped around Eddie, like they’re tangled up in something dangerous and lovely and terribly, terribly precious."
There's such fantastic character development alongside the exquiste relationship build. Their entire relationship is so sweet, and playful, and soft, and they have fantastic banter that made me laugh out loud several times.
Like with WCBSG, the time period makes being queer incredibly difficult, and being out a non-starter as it's illegal. Both Mark and Eddie struggle with issues relating to this and what it means for them in terms of identity, safety, and happiness, and Cat Sebastian does a great job of portraying this.
"It’s not just the burden of continually lying, it’s keeping your existence a secret. When the world has decided that people are supposed to be a certain way, but you’re living proof to the contrary, then hiding your differences is just helping everybody else erase who you are."
You Should Be So Lucky is such a gorgeous book, it makes me giddy just to think Mark and Eddie, and it was an absolutely fantastic read. I can't recommend it enough.
Thanks to Avon and Netgalley for the ARC. You Should Be So Lucky is out May 7
"I don’t think I could have a single feeling about you that’s wasted.”
I buddy read the book with Dana and we had the best time! I kept falling even more in love with the book as we discussed it, and I'm so happy to have read it in this way.
You Should Be So Lucky is set in the same world as We Could Be So Good, a couple of years later in 1960. It's a slowburn between baseball player Eddie who unexpectedly gets traded to the New York Robins and reporter Mark (who we met in WCBSG) who finds himself on his paper's sports beat, having to do a series on Eddie.
It's very much opposites attract, Mark's a bit of a prickly semi-feral cat and Eddie's more of golden retriever cinnamon roll. They're both sort of assholes though, and they're also both terribly lonely and dealing with grief in different ways but their jagged edges fit together.
They can't seem to stay away from each other, and it's obvious how fond they become of each other really fast. Mark especially isn't great at opening up but Eddie sees him like no one ever has before, he's way more perceptive than most people give him credit for, and Mark does the same for Eddie. It's the horrifying ordeal of being known and being accepted and loved for everything you are.
"He feels like every part of him is wrapped around Eddie, like they’re tangled up in something dangerous and lovely and terribly, terribly precious."
There's such fantastic character development alongside the exquiste relationship build. Their entire relationship is so sweet, and playful, and soft, and they have fantastic banter that made me laugh out loud several times.
Like with WCBSG, the time period makes being queer incredibly difficult, and being out a non-starter as it's illegal. Both Mark and Eddie struggle with issues relating to this and what it means for them in terms of identity, safety, and happiness, and Cat Sebastian does a great job of portraying this.
"It’s not just the burden of continually lying, it’s keeping your existence a secret. When the world has decided that people are supposed to be a certain way, but you’re living proof to the contrary, then hiding your differences is just helping everybody else erase who you are."
You Should Be So Lucky is such a gorgeous book, it makes me giddy just to think Mark and Eddie, and it was an absolutely fantastic read. I can't recommend it enough.
Thanks to Avon and Netgalley for the ARC. You Should Be So Lucky is out May 7
January 7, 2025
This book was as soft as Mark’s suits and as lovely and sweet as Eddie. I am not exaggerating when I say this was extremely cute, beautiful, heartbreaking and wholesome all at the same time.
I was afraid that this sort of sequel wasn't going to do justice to We Could Be So Good, like maybe it was gonna be good but not amazing and I'm happy to say I should not have worried, Cat Sebastian really knows what she is doing.
This book was angsty and sad mainly when reading about Mark's grieve for William's sudden death, due to the nature of their secrete relationship, Mark finds himself practically a widow but without being able to mourn his departed lover, it's heartbreaking and I did cry a little because I could feel his despair and loneliness. Enter Eddie, sweet baby boy Eddie ray of sunshine who is recently traded from his team in Kansas to a team in NY that just to be blunt, it's pretty bad, of course Eddie has some trouble containing his opinions and the press makes a mockery out of him causing him to be alienated from his new team in a new city where he doesn't know anybody. Thankfully, his team eventually forgives him and even supports him giving us a very nice cast of side characters.
Thanks to Andy, Mark is tasked with doing a series of interviews and gets to know Eddie, who is also secretly queer, they form a friendship that little by little develops into something more meaningful.
It was extremely sad to read about Eddie's struggles with being a queer athlete and the fear of being found out, not only because at the time it was illegal, but also because he would lose his career, and honestly, isn't it the same nowadays? It's no coincidence there are no out athletes in major sports.
"The person I lose it all for", Eddie repeats. "That's how you see yourself, isn't it? Mark, you are not going to ruin my life. You're the person I want to build my life around."
Both Mark and Eddie are afraid but thanks to the gods they make it work and get their HEA or HFN I guess. I hope we get more books in this universe so we can indirectly learn what happens to them and Nick and Andy.
"I love you." He kisses Eddie then, because otherwise that phrase is going to linger in the air, true but somehow inadequate. He has a professional aversion to phrases that refuse to get the job done. "I'm going to keep loving you," Mark says, and that's much better.
I was afraid that this sort of sequel wasn't going to do justice to We Could Be So Good, like maybe it was gonna be good but not amazing and I'm happy to say I should not have worried, Cat Sebastian really knows what she is doing.
This book was angsty and sad mainly when reading about Mark's grieve for William's sudden death, due to the nature of their secrete relationship, Mark finds himself practically a widow but without being able to mourn his departed lover, it's heartbreaking and I did cry a little because I could feel his despair and loneliness. Enter Eddie, sweet baby boy Eddie ray of sunshine who is recently traded from his team in Kansas to a team in NY that just to be blunt, it's pretty bad, of course Eddie has some trouble containing his opinions and the press makes a mockery out of him causing him to be alienated from his new team in a new city where he doesn't know anybody. Thankfully, his team eventually forgives him and even supports him giving us a very nice cast of side characters.
Thanks to Andy, Mark is tasked with doing a series of interviews and gets to know Eddie, who is also secretly queer, they form a friendship that little by little develops into something more meaningful.
It was extremely sad to read about Eddie's struggles with being a queer athlete and the fear of being found out, not only because at the time it was illegal, but also because he would lose his career, and honestly, isn't it the same nowadays? It's no coincidence there are no out athletes in major sports.
"The person I lose it all for", Eddie repeats. "That's how you see yourself, isn't it? Mark, you are not going to ruin my life. You're the person I want to build my life around."
Both Mark and Eddie are afraid but thanks to the gods they make it work and get their HEA or HFN I guess. I hope we get more books in this universe so we can indirectly learn what happens to them and Nick and Andy.
"I love you." He kisses Eddie then, because otherwise that phrase is going to linger in the air, true but somehow inadequate. He has a professional aversion to phrases that refuse to get the job done. "I'm going to keep loving you," Mark says, and that's much better.
June 19, 2024
This book was so boring, nothing happened.
And I'm not talking about the romance, because I actually really like romances that are a slow burn. And, I'm not talking about the steam- I've read and loved a lot of fade to gray books.
I'm talking about the plot. Nothing happened. So slow and boring and repetitive. Would it have killed to have sprinkled a bit of plot in?
At 50% I was considering DNFing because nothing had happened by that point. Imagine 50% and its already boring and nothing happening. But I decided not to and I skimmed to the end. I wish I would have just DNFed because nothing really happened in the second half either.
And I'm not talking about the romance, because I actually really like romances that are a slow burn. And, I'm not talking about the steam- I've read and loved a lot of fade to gray books.
I'm talking about the plot. Nothing happened. So slow and boring and repetitive. Would it have killed to have sprinkled a bit of plot in?
At 50% I was considering DNFing because nothing had happened by that point. Imagine 50% and its already boring and nothing happening. But I decided not to and I skimmed to the end. I wish I would have just DNFed because nothing really happened in the second half either.
March 20, 2024
A grumpy reporter partially paralyzed by grief tends to his ungrateful dog and eats a lot of sandwiches. Assigned to cover the budding career of a baseball player from the sticks, he’s horrified by how mean the player’s teammates are to him and frankly so was I; every time someone ignored Eddie I got a stomach ache and wanted to cry. The baseball player, who is a stubborn ray of literal sunshine, decides he likes prickly Mark and wants to keep him. Watching Mark slowly thaw out is a reward onto itself, enhanced by appearances by Andy from We Could Be So Good (he’s the big boss man and I’m so proud I love you Andy). Also featuring crotchety non-bigoted older co-workers and alcoholism recovery; truly something for everyone (especially if you like baseball).
Thanks to Avon for the complimentary ARC, you’re the MVP.
Thanks to Avon for the complimentary ARC, you’re the MVP.
June 5, 2024
It’s like if the movie Major League was queer and set in the 1960s and made me sob uncontrollably. I mean on the right day I probably could sob uncontrollably while watching Major League but that’s neither here nor there.
Side note: My face hurts so much from crying it’s like the Sahara 🤧
Side note: My face hurts so much from crying it’s like the Sahara 🤧
June 9, 2024
cat sebastian really said would you rather never slay again or slay so hard every day that slay loses all meaning?
(this book actually murdered me i am very much dead)
(this book actually murdered me i am very much dead)
October 3, 2024
This book has a cuter couple than the first one but unfortunately, it’s very dull. I liked the slow burn and their sweet relationship.
February 5, 2024
I don't know what it is about baseball that makes it the perfect backdrop to a story equally about grief as it is romance but it does. Perhaps it is the inherent nostalgic romance of baseball or the skill of Cat Sebastian as a writer but this book was incredible.
It felt like the spiritual successor to KD Casey's baseball books (highly recommend everyone read those) while being a completely new and refreshing take on baseball romance. Which it is very refreshing! One of my notes on this book is "weirdly refreshing about sports and homophobia??" because similarly to We Could Be So Good, the historical realism of being gay in mid-century New York - particularly as a well-known professional athlete- is absolutely present, the book is still incredibly hopeful and sweet.
And the romance! It's an absolute masterclass on domestic slice of life slowburn. Eddie and Mark are very different but they are so soft for each other, especially when it comes to helping each other deal with loss and grief and healing.
While We Could Be So Good gave me urban planning as a treat THIS book gave me literary criticism as a treat. The use of books as a way for Eddie and Mark to connect and, uh, declare themselves to each other was superb (and amusing) (particularly for me). And now I want to read The Haunting of Hill House to see what being "literally haunted by the specter of heterosexuality" is about.
In conclusion, another excellent book from Cat Sebastian.
I received an ARC copy of this book from the author (thanks, Cat!!) in exchange for nothing - I am reviewing it of my own volition. All opinions are my own.
Edit 2/5/2024: and now the publisher has sent me an ARC copy of this book via netgalley so here is my other disclaimer for them i guess
It felt like the spiritual successor to KD Casey's baseball books (highly recommend everyone read those) while being a completely new and refreshing take on baseball romance. Which it is very refreshing! One of my notes on this book is "weirdly refreshing about sports and homophobia??" because similarly to We Could Be So Good, the historical realism of being gay in mid-century New York - particularly as a well-known professional athlete- is absolutely present, the book is still incredibly hopeful and sweet.
And the romance! It's an absolute masterclass on domestic slice of life slowburn. Eddie and Mark are very different but they are so soft for each other, especially when it comes to helping each other deal with loss and grief and healing.
While We Could Be So Good gave me urban planning as a treat THIS book gave me literary criticism as a treat. The use of books as a way for Eddie and Mark to connect and, uh, declare themselves to each other was superb (and amusing) (particularly for me). And now I want to read The Haunting of Hill House to see what being "literally haunted by the specter of heterosexuality" is about.
In conclusion, another excellent book from Cat Sebastian.
I received an ARC copy of this book from the author (thanks, Cat!!) in exchange for nothing - I am reviewing it of my own volition. All opinions are my own.
Edit 2/5/2024: and now the publisher has sent me an ARC copy of this book via netgalley so here is my other disclaimer for them i guess
November 17, 2024
Cat Sebastian is an extremely talented writer. This book is flawless in its portrayal of midcentury New York, from nightclubs to bakeries to ramshackle baseball stadiums built before the Model T hit the streets of America.
Mark and Eddie are fully realized characters with insecurities and desires. Mark is grieving the death of his partner, and Eddie is still a kid who can throw a spectacular temper tantrum.
Their relationship ambles along like a lazy tortoise. They don't kiss until the halfway point, and they do nothing but kiss for eons. Slow burn is sexy, but friendship, dog walks, and baseball don't make for exciting reading material.
Baseball is a languid sport. There's a lot of hurry up and wait, which mirrors the pace of this story. It took me a long while (not days, but weeks) to read this book. I finished several other novels while slogging through this one (highly unusual, as I'm a one-book-at-a-time kind of girl).
I was hoping for a tighter plot, but a whole lot of nothing happens. Eddie's teammates are not particularly interesting. I didn't care about the antics of the drunk team manager or the adulterous ways of the other players.
I wanted to see more of Andy and Nick because We Could Be So Good was brilliant, but they're on page only briefly. Eddie and Mark don't shine as brightly as Andy and Nick, and their dawdling relationship couldn't carry the story.
The heavy weight of rabid homophobia (not to mention racism) - handled ever so gently in We Could Be So Good - distorts everything and smothers the romance.
I wanted to love this book, but I wasn't so lucky.
Mark and Eddie are fully realized characters with insecurities and desires. Mark is grieving the death of his partner, and Eddie is still a kid who can throw a spectacular temper tantrum.
Their relationship ambles along like a lazy tortoise. They don't kiss until the halfway point, and they do nothing but kiss for eons. Slow burn is sexy, but friendship, dog walks, and baseball don't make for exciting reading material.
Baseball is a languid sport. There's a lot of hurry up and wait, which mirrors the pace of this story. It took me a long while (not days, but weeks) to read this book. I finished several other novels while slogging through this one (highly unusual, as I'm a one-book-at-a-time kind of girl).
I was hoping for a tighter plot, but a whole lot of nothing happens. Eddie's teammates are not particularly interesting. I didn't care about the antics of the drunk team manager or the adulterous ways of the other players.
I wanted to see more of Andy and Nick because We Could Be So Good was brilliant, but they're on page only briefly. Eddie and Mark don't shine as brightly as Andy and Nick, and their dawdling relationship couldn't carry the story.
The heavy weight of rabid homophobia (not to mention racism) - handled ever so gently in We Could Be So Good - distorts everything and smothers the romance.
I wanted to love this book, but I wasn't so lucky.
June 3, 2024
This was a beautiful book to kick off pride month. Although there’s a hopeful and optimistic tone to the whole story, it’s a real reminder of why pride protests are important and why politically, we can’t afford to go backwards.
I loved we could be so good but I think you should be so lucky will always hold a place in my heart. It might be making it into my top 10 reads of all time.
The character arcs of both Mark and Eddie were just perfection. Seeing Mark slowly coming out of the haze of grief and rejoining life was everything. Eddie is the most stunning golden retriever of a human I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading about. In a world where he couldn’t be out, he was so brave and loving and I just think if you read this book and don’t love him then seek help because he’s an angel.
I could write a 10 page essay about every little nuance in this story that made it such an exceptional read but I’ll spare you. Cat Sebastian’s writing is a joy to read and the level of research that must go into writing such incredibly consistent (modern) historical romances blows me away.
I bought the e-book and now I need the paperback for my shelf and probably the audibook too so I can listen to this on repeat.
I loved we could be so good but I think you should be so lucky will always hold a place in my heart. It might be making it into my top 10 reads of all time.
The character arcs of both Mark and Eddie were just perfection. Seeing Mark slowly coming out of the haze of grief and rejoining life was everything. Eddie is the most stunning golden retriever of a human I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading about. In a world where he couldn’t be out, he was so brave and loving and I just think if you read this book and don’t love him then seek help because he’s an angel.
I could write a 10 page essay about every little nuance in this story that made it such an exceptional read but I’ll spare you. Cat Sebastian’s writing is a joy to read and the level of research that must go into writing such incredibly consistent (modern) historical romances blows me away.
I bought the e-book and now I need the paperback for my shelf and probably the audibook too so I can listen to this on repeat.
January 16, 2025
Czysta przyjemność. Urocza, grzejąca serce historia mocno osadzona w swojej epoce. Bez ostentacyjnego przepisywania współczesnej moralności na lata 50., za to pełna serdecznych postaci, które po prostu miały dobre serce dla bohaterów. Świetnie nakreślone, pełnowymiarowe postacie. Romans romansem, ale jest tu też część o dojrzewaniu, radzeniu sobie ze stratą i poszukiwaniu własnej drogi. A baseball jest opisany tak, że zainteresuje nawet tych, którzy nie lubią sportu.
December 30, 2024
It should be illegal to make me this bored
New York City, 1960. Mark is grieving. After he lost his previous relationship, it’s hard for him to find a goal in life, something that makes him happy again. When he’s asked to write a column in the newspaper he works at about a baseball player, despite not knowing anything about the game, Mark isn’t thrilled about getting to know the cocky, non-filtered Eddie O’Leary. Until he meets him, and discovers that everyone is wrong about him.
Eddie is awful at talking with reporters: he keeps saying the wrong things. Now his new team ignores him, the fans hate him and he’s playing the worst he’s ever played. It’s like he doesn’t even know how to play baseball anymore. When he’s asked to work with a journalist to ‘clean’ his image, Eddie isn’t expecting a miracle. But his luck is about to turn.
I’ll start admitting I shouldn’t have tried this book. I’ve read other books by the author and her writing style doesn’t work for me. The problem is that, in theory, her books are perfect for me.. So I decided I must be wrong before and give her yet another try. I don’t remember being so bored reading a book. I felt I spent hours seeing the percentage of book read unchanged. I should have dnfed it, but I’m stubborn and was aware it was on me for buying another book by her.
The pacing was worse than in book 1. Maybe if you connect with the characters you don’t mind the super slow-pace and slow burn, the continuous dialogues where they would talk about nothing or all the daily scenes with secondary characters that didn’t move the plot forward. I’ve loved huge books where two hundred pages could have been cut without changing the plot, but when you don’t care it’s a complete nightmare.
Overall, there is nothing really bad I can say about this book other than the book being way longer than it needed to be. The characters were good and there was character development. I would say give it a try if you love Cat Sebastian. As for me, this book bored me to death and there was nothing I could save from it.
PS: if anybody ever sees me adding or starting reading a Cat Sebastian book again, please send me a message and save me from myself😭😭
↬Midcentury New York City:
1. We Could Be So Good: 3 stars
2. You Should Be So Lucky: 1.5 stars
New York City, 1960. Mark is grieving. After he lost his previous relationship, it’s hard for him to find a goal in life, something that makes him happy again. When he’s asked to write a column in the newspaper he works at about a baseball player, despite not knowing anything about the game, Mark isn’t thrilled about getting to know the cocky, non-filtered Eddie O’Leary. Until he meets him, and discovers that everyone is wrong about him.
Eddie is awful at talking with reporters: he keeps saying the wrong things. Now his new team ignores him, the fans hate him and he’s playing the worst he’s ever played. It’s like he doesn’t even know how to play baseball anymore. When he’s asked to work with a journalist to ‘clean’ his image, Eddie isn’t expecting a miracle. But his luck is about to turn.
I’ll start admitting I shouldn’t have tried this book. I’ve read other books by the author and her writing style doesn’t work for me. The problem is that, in theory, her books are perfect for me.. So I decided I must be wrong before and give her yet another try. I don’t remember being so bored reading a book. I felt I spent hours seeing the percentage of book read unchanged. I should have dnfed it, but I’m stubborn and was aware it was on me for buying another book by her.
The pacing was worse than in book 1. Maybe if you connect with the characters you don’t mind the super slow-pace and slow burn, the continuous dialogues where they would talk about nothing or all the daily scenes with secondary characters that didn’t move the plot forward. I’ve loved huge books where two hundred pages could have been cut without changing the plot, but when you don’t care it’s a complete nightmare.
Overall, there is nothing really bad I can say about this book other than the book being way longer than it needed to be. The characters were good and there was character development. I would say give it a try if you love Cat Sebastian. As for me, this book bored me to death and there was nothing I could save from it.
PS: if anybody ever sees me adding or starting reading a Cat Sebastian book again, please send me a message and save me from myself😭😭
↬Midcentury New York City:
1. We Could Be So Good: 3 stars
2. You Should Be So Lucky: 1.5 stars
September 21, 2024
3 Overpriced Dog Bowl Stars ⭐️
Spicy Level: 🌶️.5/5
I wanted to like this book. I wanted to adore it and love the characters and I went into it with the Mindset that I would given how much I have seen a friend gush about how much she loved and adored this book and how much this meant to her... I wanted to take a chance on this one.
𝙎𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨:
This is a third-person historical romance set in the 1960s that follows Mark Bailey and Eddie O’Leary. Mark is a semi-retired journalist and book reviewer who is dealing with the grief of losing his partner, William. Eddie just cannot catch a break. He is a professional baseball player who has just been traded to a new team that he is not happy about. He has publicly spoken against the team and has tarnished his lovable rookie reputation. It also doesn't help that he cannot seem to hit a ball anymore. To rejuvenate and reframe his image, Mark is tasked with ghostwriting Eddie's diary in the Newspaper he works for. As Mark and Eddie spend more time together, they both realise that there is more to the other than meets the eye. Their acquaintance turns into friendship and soon that friendship develops into something more. However, this has its challenges because being Queer in the 1960s, a time rife with homophobia is super challenging and reputationally dangerous.
𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨:
My issue with this is that the book was incredibly boring. I just felt like it was going nowhere SUPER SLOW with the plot moving at such a snail’s pace that was spiralling down, never quite going upwards...
Eddie has this cheerful presence and disposition that makes you smile and want to hug him. You just hope he gets everything he wants because he’s such a cutie, and he deserves love, happiness, and support. I loved his character as he gives off this naive, sweet, almost himbo vibe, but then he says something occasionally profound or delivers a really sweet metaphor about life but he doesn't seem to realise it's profound because he is so innocent. He carried the book for me, and every time he was present in a scene, he made it better.
Mark irritated the living daylights out of me. Like super pissed off... He is not a nice person, and I honestly don’t know what Eddie saw in him. He is overly sarcastic to the point where he is generally mean in what he says and how he acts. He has this aloof "attitude that makes him come across as if he thinks he is "better" than those around him because he happens to have "acquired tastes" and prefers quality. He just came across as snobbish and unlikeable.
The aspects of William’s death were sometimes unnecessary. I understand that Mark is processing his grief, and some moments were heartbreaking and had me on the verge of tears, especially the cherry scene. My issue is that there was a lot more focus on Mark’s grief than on the budding relationship between Eddie and Mark. Because the story was so slow, I lost track of the development of their love. It made me feel multiple times that Mark was being unfaithful to William...
Another aspect that bothered me was I didn’t like how so many aspects were thrown into the plot that went nowhere, an example being Ardolino and his potential romance. They didn't serve a purpose, and they might be "nuggets for the next books" but the developments went nowhere and dragged on not capturing my attention.
NOW despite me not liking things in the book... there were some things I REALLY DID like. The writing was sweet and I appreciated the story. This type of book is not easy to read because of the topics it deals with. Not only the grief aspect but also the historical homophobia and how difficult it would be for a queer couple in that time. The fears of being outed in a society that would ostracise them were portrayed realistically and truthfully. This book did an excellent job showing that even in a time when the world was not as accepting, you could still find a family of people willing to accept you for who you are.
𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨 and 𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙧𝙤 𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▶ Baseball Romance
▶ ReporterXPlayer
▶ Historical Romance
▶ GrumpyXSunshine (Black Cat and Golden Retriever)
▶ Slow Burn
▶ Age Gap
Overall, it had precious moments, and underneath Mark’s surly behaviour, I do think he cared a lot for Eddie. I’m happy that he had a chance to move on from his grief over William. While slow and having a few issues it was still a sweet grumpy-sunshine dynamic that at times was utterly beautiful. I think if it had been about three hours shorter (Since I listened to the Audio), I would have enjoyed it a lot more.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
WHY IS HE TALKING IN A WEIRD TRANSATLANTIC ACCENT???
I am pushing through cause EVERYONE SAYS THIS IS CUTE...
Spicy Level: 🌶️.5/5
I wanted to like this book. I wanted to adore it and love the characters and I went into it with the Mindset that I would given how much I have seen a friend gush about how much she loved and adored this book and how much this meant to her... I wanted to take a chance on this one.
𝙎𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨:
This is a third-person historical romance set in the 1960s that follows Mark Bailey and Eddie O’Leary. Mark is a semi-retired journalist and book reviewer who is dealing with the grief of losing his partner, William. Eddie just cannot catch a break. He is a professional baseball player who has just been traded to a new team that he is not happy about. He has publicly spoken against the team and has tarnished his lovable rookie reputation. It also doesn't help that he cannot seem to hit a ball anymore. To rejuvenate and reframe his image, Mark is tasked with ghostwriting Eddie's diary in the Newspaper he works for. As Mark and Eddie spend more time together, they both realise that there is more to the other than meets the eye. Their acquaintance turns into friendship and soon that friendship develops into something more. However, this has its challenges because being Queer in the 1960s, a time rife with homophobia is super challenging and reputationally dangerous.
𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨:
My issue with this is that the book was incredibly boring. I just felt like it was going nowhere SUPER SLOW with the plot moving at such a snail’s pace that was spiralling down, never quite going upwards...
Eddie has this cheerful presence and disposition that makes you smile and want to hug him. You just hope he gets everything he wants because he’s such a cutie, and he deserves love, happiness, and support. I loved his character as he gives off this naive, sweet, almost himbo vibe, but then he says something occasionally profound or delivers a really sweet metaphor about life but he doesn't seem to realise it's profound because he is so innocent. He carried the book for me, and every time he was present in a scene, he made it better.
Mark irritated the living daylights out of me. Like super pissed off... He is not a nice person, and I honestly don’t know what Eddie saw in him. He is overly sarcastic to the point where he is generally mean in what he says and how he acts. He has this aloof "attitude that makes him come across as if he thinks he is "better" than those around him because he happens to have "acquired tastes" and prefers quality. He just came across as snobbish and unlikeable.
The aspects of William’s death were sometimes unnecessary. I understand that Mark is processing his grief, and some moments were heartbreaking and had me on the verge of tears, especially the cherry scene. My issue is that there was a lot more focus on Mark’s grief than on the budding relationship between Eddie and Mark. Because the story was so slow, I lost track of the development of their love. It made me feel multiple times that Mark was being unfaithful to William...
Another aspect that bothered me was I didn’t like how so many aspects were thrown into the plot that went nowhere, an example being Ardolino and his potential romance. They didn't serve a purpose, and they might be "nuggets for the next books" but the developments went nowhere and dragged on not capturing my attention.
NOW despite me not liking things in the book... there were some things I REALLY DID like. The writing was sweet and I appreciated the story. This type of book is not easy to read because of the topics it deals with. Not only the grief aspect but also the historical homophobia and how difficult it would be for a queer couple in that time. The fears of being outed in a society that would ostracise them were portrayed realistically and truthfully. This book did an excellent job showing that even in a time when the world was not as accepting, you could still find a family of people willing to accept you for who you are.
𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨 and 𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙧𝙤 𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▶ Baseball Romance
▶ ReporterXPlayer
▶ Historical Romance
▶ GrumpyXSunshine (Black Cat and Golden Retriever)
▶ Slow Burn
▶ Age Gap
Overall, it had precious moments, and underneath Mark’s surly behaviour, I do think he cared a lot for Eddie. I’m happy that he had a chance to move on from his grief over William. While slow and having a few issues it was still a sweet grumpy-sunshine dynamic that at times was utterly beautiful. I think if it had been about three hours shorter (Since I listened to the Audio), I would have enjoyed it a lot more.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
WHY IS HE TALKING IN A WEIRD TRANSATLANTIC ACCENT???
I am pushing through cause EVERYONE SAYS THIS IS CUTE...
September 29, 2025
Do you ever love a book so much that you have no idea how to go about expressing your feelings for it? That is me in this moment with You Should Be So Lucky. Cat Sebastian has been on my radar for quite a while, but I hadn’t made the leap to pick up one of her books until now. I usually think long and hard before reading queer historical romance because my heart often can’t handle the heartache that accompanies it. Cat Sebastian changed that for me. She showed me that the genre can be bright, beautiful, and full of promise while also touching on the very real life challenges of living in a less accepting time. You Should Be So Lucky blew expectations out of the water to become my favorite read of the year so far.
The story begins with both Mark and Eddie at less than ideal points in their lives. Neither man is looking for anything special when they meet, but the pair slowly forms a friendship that gradually turns into more. Mark doesn’t go out of his way to try to hide his queerness, but he’s used to being a well-kept secret out of deference to his recently deceased long-term partner. Eddie is a mid-western boy, well-versed in hiding his queerness for a number of reasons. The two men couldn’t be more different.
“Mark thinks the danger he poses is that people will notice that Eddie’s queer, but the real danger is that Eddie finally noticed he’s queer - or at least noticed the implications.”
Eddie is full of sunshine and sparkles despite struggling with a slump threatening his baseball career after being traded and having an epic publicity screw up. Mark is a grump with a heart of gold who is still struggling with the loss of his partner, the ramifications of being a secret throughout their relationship, and the reality of dealing with his grief alone. Both men desperately need something to shake up their lives, rearrange the pieces, and put them back together in a way they can start living again, not just going through the motions.
“Sorry, I know I’m rambling. I know some things are just bad. I’m not saying things happen for a reason - I hate that. I'm saying that things happen. And it doesn’t have to mean anything except what it means to you. Nobody else gets to decide.”
Cat Sebastian does a remarkable job of weaving Eddie and Mark’s struggles together in a way that allows them to be there for each other in the exact way the other needs. The way they fall into a relationship is so natural and complimentary that neither man realizes it until they are so gone for the other that they can’t turn back. It’s as if they picked through the rubble of their lives, pulled out the best pieces, repaired the things that were broken but worth fixing, and combined them into something new. Something better than before, something they could be together.
I can’t say enough good things about this book. You Should Be So Lucky was a delight to read from start to finish, a beautiful slow burn that filled me with warmth and happiness like a cozy blanket I wanted to snuggle up in and never leave. Despite the story having the potential to tear me apart, I was left instead with joy and hope that's sure to stay nestled in my heart for a long time to come.
Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for providing me with an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
The story begins with both Mark and Eddie at less than ideal points in their lives. Neither man is looking for anything special when they meet, but the pair slowly forms a friendship that gradually turns into more. Mark doesn’t go out of his way to try to hide his queerness, but he’s used to being a well-kept secret out of deference to his recently deceased long-term partner. Eddie is a mid-western boy, well-versed in hiding his queerness for a number of reasons. The two men couldn’t be more different.
“Mark thinks the danger he poses is that people will notice that Eddie’s queer, but the real danger is that Eddie finally noticed he’s queer - or at least noticed the implications.”
Eddie is full of sunshine and sparkles despite struggling with a slump threatening his baseball career after being traded and having an epic publicity screw up. Mark is a grump with a heart of gold who is still struggling with the loss of his partner, the ramifications of being a secret throughout their relationship, and the reality of dealing with his grief alone. Both men desperately need something to shake up their lives, rearrange the pieces, and put them back together in a way they can start living again, not just going through the motions.
“Sorry, I know I’m rambling. I know some things are just bad. I’m not saying things happen for a reason - I hate that. I'm saying that things happen. And it doesn’t have to mean anything except what it means to you. Nobody else gets to decide.”
Cat Sebastian does a remarkable job of weaving Eddie and Mark’s struggles together in a way that allows them to be there for each other in the exact way the other needs. The way they fall into a relationship is so natural and complimentary that neither man realizes it until they are so gone for the other that they can’t turn back. It’s as if they picked through the rubble of their lives, pulled out the best pieces, repaired the things that were broken but worth fixing, and combined them into something new. Something better than before, something they could be together.
I can’t say enough good things about this book. You Should Be So Lucky was a delight to read from start to finish, a beautiful slow burn that filled me with warmth and happiness like a cozy blanket I wanted to snuggle up in and never leave. Despite the story having the potential to tear me apart, I was left instead with joy and hope that's sure to stay nestled in my heart for a long time to come.
Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for providing me with an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
July 13, 2024
BASEBALL, QUEER HISTORY, AND GAY LOVE!! What more could you want? This was a lovely historical romance set in 1960s NYC. Cat Sebastian somehow manages to address and include the time period's intense institutional homophobia but keep the book soothing and sweet. I loved the two surprising older straight men characters in here who become unlikely lovable allies. Eddie and Mark are wonderfully drawn, complex people.
I am BEGGING Cat Sebastian to give this kind of care and attention to some mid-century queer women. Cat, the professional women's baseball league (1943-1954) is right there!
Beautifully performed by Joel Leslie in audiobook
I am BEGGING Cat Sebastian to give this kind of care and attention to some mid-century queer women. Cat, the professional women's baseball league (1943-1954) is right there!
Beautifully performed by Joel Leslie in audiobook
July 4, 2025
I'm in actual tears. RTC ❤️
May 10, 2024
I have struck out so many times with baseball books, probably more than Eddie. This is the book I've been looking for. Everything I love about baseball was in it, and it's going to the top of my baseball books list.
Longer, more coherent review to come.
Longer, more coherent review to come.
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